After the Fall
by Politics.and.Prose
Summary: The first time he sees her, he doesn't recognize her. - Based on S3 spoilers, sort of.


The first time he sees her, he doesn't recognize her. Pink hair'll do that, he supposes. He does a double – wait, triple – take, his brow arching as she walks past him with this "fuck you all" look on her face and he can't decide whether it's hot or weird. Or both. (Probably both because it's Quinn so it's always hot but she's got _pink hair_ and black clothes and _who the fuck is that dude walking with her right now_?)

"Puckerman. Walk me to the caf. I want a Snickers."

He obediently pulls a candy bar from his locker and hands it to Lauren, eyes still on Quinn.

"That was Q, right?"

"Who?" she asks as she looks around the hall once, probably not even really looking, before opening her candy bar and taking a bite. "You mean Lucy? I think so. Who cares? Now she's a freak too. Everyone's finally got their freak flag flying for glee club. Let's have a party," she says in a bored tone of voice, mouth full.

He frowns at her but shuts his locker and hoists his book bag higher on his shoulder. "Class you got now?"

"Math," she answers as she finishes off the Snickers. "Walk me?"

His eyes wander down the hall to see pink hair disappear around the corner. Brow furrowed, he turns his attention back to his girlfriend and nods. "Yeah. Where're the math rooms?"

"You're such a loser," she sighs out before shoving him in the direction of the C hallway.

* * *

><p>The second time he sees her it's in History and he knows it's her because he knows she's in the same class as him. He does another double take as she sits at a desk in the back, two over from him, instead of her normal place in the front of the class on the opposite side of the room as Rachel. He stares at her, really can't turn away, for a good five minutes after the bell rings.<p>

He wants to say something to her; ask her what the fuck is up with her, tell her the hair is different but kinda hot.

He resolves to do it after class.

Only she jumps up at the first inkling of the bell and runs out of the room, meeting the _guy_ again.

And _who the fuck_ _even __**is**_ he?

He sees her again at lunch and he refuses to let her escape. He basically marches up to her Berry-style and demands she explain what the fuck is up with her pink hair and who the fuck the douchebag with the dreadlocks was.

And she fucking ignores him.

So he opens his mouth to say something that would usually make her turn red and give him _that face_ but Lauren grabs him by the arm and pulls him away. He glances over his shoulder to see her pull some earbuds from her ear and look over her shoulder at him.

And then that dude sits down next to her and she smiles at him and _who the fuck is he_?

Lauren tugs him down into a chair at a table with the wrestling team and he doesn't really get a chance to check on Quinn again because some douche says wrestling's harder than football and _fuck that shit_.

* * *

><p>He waits outside the classroom for her before glee. And she doesn't show. Five minutes after the bell, Finn pops his head out and tells him to get inside because Mr. Schue wants to start the lesson and he can't do that without all of the members.<p>

"Quinn's not here yet," he says as he walks into the classroom and obediently takes his usual seat beside Lauren.

"Quinn came to see me this morning. She's not going to be joining glee this year," Mr. Schue says quietly.

He kind of tunes out the stupid speech about performing in order to gain more members (because that worked so well last year) and kind of focuses on the fact that he hates New Quinn more than he hates spending a night waiting for someone to buy him some beer at the Sev Elev and coming up empty.

"You want a tissue for those tears?" he hears Lauren ask testily beside him.

He tells her to shut up and mind her own and then she's telling the club that if "Lucy" can bail, she can too. That she's out and she doesn't date glee club losers and she's stomping out the door and he's just kind of sitting there wondering what the fuck just happened.

It's like the fucking Twilight Zone and he can't figure any of it out.

Rachel puts a hand on his bicep and he shrugs her off, shooting her a shitty look and turning back to Mr. Schue. "I'm not singing something gay."

He doesn't need to see Kurt to know he rolls his eyes.

* * *

><p>He tries to catch up with her after school but she's getting into her stupid sedan and driving off before he can get from the front door to his truck. He seriously considers driving to her house, but her mom's probably there and he doesn't want to deal with that shit right now.<p>

He can't text her – she wouldn't answer anyway – because Finn had his phone when the hockey douches slushied him, so he needs to let it dry out before he can do anything.

He watches the kid with the dreads get onto a bus and wonders again who the fuck that kid is. He's never seen him before and he doesn't like that Quinn has.

He doesn't know why, but he wants to punch that kid in the face.

And the weird part is, he's never seen the little ankle-biter touch Quinn. But he has a feeling he has.

He hears the rumor as soon as he gets to school the next morning: a new, hot teacher.

And he hasn't had sex in far too long.

He gets a smirk on his face and heads into the school, ears open for some kind of comment on who the teacher is and where he might find her. No one's talking though, but Rachel looks kind of sad and Finn looks comforting and they're standing at the end of the English wing and something just doesn't seem right.

He arches a brow at Finn who just shakes his head, so he sets his jaw and heads down the hall. He and Rachel are sort of friends and he and Finn are tight, so he needs to know what the fuck pu that look on her face, like, the second day of school.

He sees a group of dudes standing outside one of the classroom and pushes his way to the front, only to freeze in his tracks. His eyes lock on the profile of the new teacher, a woman (duh), with long dark hair and a face that looks like an adult version of Rachel Berry.

Shelby _fucking_ Corcoran is back in town and fuck all if he doesn't know exactly what the means.

He sees her straighten a picture frame on her desk and he _knows_ whose smiling face is in it. (He imagines her to look like a younger, more innocent, less punk Quinn.)

He swallows thickly and is about to leave when he _feels_ her behind him.

"And there's the past, coming back to bite us both in the ass," she says blankly before turning and walking down the hallway.

He can't even be bothered to chase after her this time. He just shakes his head and walks in the opposite direction, completely unable to put words to exactly what it is he's feeling in this moment.

He brushes his fingers across Rachel's bare forearm as he passes her and Finn on his way to homeroom.


End file.
